Empire Building

Shabuway Chef-Owner Eiichi Mochizuki Snags Bushi-Tei Space

Hime, once upon a time in 2007.
Hime, once upon a time in 2007.

Hot off the liquor license presses this a.m., Grub Street learns that the vacant Bushi-Tei space (1638 Post Street) in Japantown has a taker, and it’s none other than chef Eiichi Mochizuki and partner Koji Kikura of Shabuway fame. San Mateo-based Shabuway, as you may know, opened a San Francisco location earlier this year at 5120 Geary Boulevard. Mochizuki and Kikura also opened the izakaya-like Hime in the Marina in 2007, but were perhaps too ahead of the curve there — not to mention being on a foot-traffic-challenged stretch of Lombard, in the now vacant space that was also briefly known as Art/S Tapas + Sushi Lounge — and Hime shuttered less than two years later. The new project in Japantown does not yet have a name, though one can expect that Mochizuki may be hoping to try out an ambitious, modern concept like Hime once again, with a mixture of high quality sushi, yakitori, donburi, and other items in a relaxed, pub-like environment. But stay tuned until we learn more.

Shabuway Chef-Owner Eiichi Mochizuki Snags Bushi-Tei Space